another taste of heavenly rush
by coveredinthecolors
Summary: When Klaus tries to sacrifice himself to save his daughter from The Hollow, the creature possessing him decides not to go down without a fight. In its desire to save itself, it sends his vessel back to 2011, in Mystic Falls, where Klaus will have to work with 18-years-old Caroline Forbes to find the secret to having everything he wants, all at once.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. This idea was presented to me by perse-phones (on tumblr), who also made me this GORGEOUS cover.**

 **Thank you, Mimi (padmcdala on tumblr), for being amazing and beta-ing this for me and for cheering me up along the way.**

 **The title comes from "Breath of Life" by Florence + the Machine.**

 **A few warnings before the story: this will NOT be friendly to the magical children or to the existence of The Originals, in general. Or most of what happened in the TVD-universe past S4, truth be told. So, if you enjoyed those plotlines, this might not be the story for you. If you, like me, hate them... I think I can make you very, very happy, haha.**

 **Enjoy**!

* * *

In the end, he didn't look back at his life and felt peace.

No. In the end, all he could think of was about how a thousand years on this Earth were simply not enough. He could only think of all the things he would leave behind. All the unfinished business.

Caroline, sweetheart… He would have chased you for as long as you had wanted him to. If only he had _more time._

You now may laugh and appreciate the sweet irony of his thoughts. Because the moment that stake was thrust into his chest, the moment that all life was supposed to leave his body in ragged breaths as the smell of his own burning flesh clung to his nose…

That _thing_ inside of him reacted.

Ancient, powerful, untamed magic felt itself crumbling and decided to do something about it. And if he held on tight to that feeling, if he was weak for a moment as he thought of his beautiful blonde vampire crying as she drove back to her dreadful town… So what? What was the harm of holding onto hope?

Oh, you may laugh at that irony, too.

The girl with the optimistic name, destined to bring her family together… She managed to bring down the world's oldest dynasty without even trying. Never doubt the power of destruction of a Mikaelson.

His little wolf. He had loved you, you know. But the broken love he could offer you had never been quite enough to drive away the feeling of regret whenever he looked at you.

And what kind of father had these kind of thoughts about his daughter in his last moments? Well, The one who was never meant to be a father in the first place, he supposed.

If he'd just had the time, perhaps he could've loved you better. If he'd had the time, perhaps you could've been a family.

 _Time_.

The creature inside of him seemed to only understand that single word.

Yes, they needed more time, because theirs was running thin. But perhaps… Well, perhaps it wasn't only a matter of _more_. Perhaps they just needed something different, something else.

Klaus's world went black, but death was not waiting for him in the darkness to complain about his much delayed arrival.

* * *

The first thing he thought when he woke up in those familiar woods was — of course his personal hell would take the form of Mystic Falls.

There would be so much to explore there, wouldn't it?

Being reminded over and over again of how weak he was when Mikael showed up to take his anger out on him. Being haunted by the memories of Tatia choosing his brother over him, remembering how it felt like to know that he was never the one. Seeing his mother's corpse and being tormented by what he had done. Being greeted by Henrik and his tears and his questions of why didn't he protect him.

Would he see little Bekah and the disappointment in her eyes, would she tell him about how he just wasn't good enough? Would Kol show up and tell him he had failed him?

… Would Caroline be here? Would she laugh and mock him? Would she cry and accuse him of breaking all the promises he'd made her?

He was so sorry, love. So sorry.

He had never meant to disappoint you too, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

Klaus closed his eyes and waited.

What horror would come first? Which ghost from his past would make its first attempt to punish him for all of his sins? If he was to pay for every crime… Well, they would be here for a long time.

Except…

Was anticipation part of the torture?

Because he waited for hours sitting on the grass, his back resting against a tree. Was solitude to be part of his sentence?

How boring. Perhaps he could teach a thing or two to whoever was in charge of coming up with these methods.

Deciding that the fact that patience was a virtue couldn't mean much when he was already supposed to be experiencing eternal damnation, he got up and started walking, his feet carrying him out of the forest.

He started to realize something might be wrong when he reached the road. Why would any hell bother to make irrelevant people exist and drive cars from over a decade ago?

Something stirred in his chest… He wasn't sure if it was dread or happiness.

Had his lovely Caroline truly not given up on him? Had she done something to stop him? Oh, sweetheart...

He was a lost cause there was nothing you could do.

Except… Something felt wrong. Caroline would never put his child — and the rest of the world — in the danger just like that. And she wouldn't have abandoned him in the woods alone. Plus, that wouldn't explain the older cars.

And yet, the creature inside of him seemed not to be there. Well, no, that wasn't exactly true. He could feel the echo of its existence, but not its power consuming him. When he looked at his arm, the veins that had been showing up were nowhere to be seen.

Caroline, what had you done?

Without taking any time to even think about it, Klaus sped towards the Salvatore Boarding School, needing some answers.

Imagine his surprise when he reached that place only for there to be no plaque with the school's name, no children… Just a house. He strained his ears, trying to listening in.

Damon… _Stefan_.

How could that be possible?

If he were to watch Caroline and Stefan together, had to watch all the ways he would hurt her and diminish her. Yes, that would definitely be hell.

But something fell off about this idea. He somehow doubted this reality was so simple as him paying for his crimes in the afterlife.

And if Stefan was alive, then maybe…

His feet began to move on their own accord, needing to test his impossible theory. Surely he would not he so lucky; the universe would never be this kind to someone like him.

And yet, the more he saw of the city, the more he convinced himself he was right. Mystic Falls looked exactly the same it did 15 years ago.

And her house, the place where it all had started… He caught her scent, _her mother's_ scent. How could this be? How was this possible?

Too many questions, not enough answers.

It was in his nature to be on edge when such a situation was thrust upon him. A thousand years could leave a man a little paranoid, surely you can understand that.

And yet, despite the feeling of uneasiness that settled in his stomach, it all disappeared when he realized that Caroline was inside.

He heard her _laugh_.

God, the things she could do to him.

Caroline, love, _sweetheart_.

Despite all the uncertainty, despite the utter confusion he felt, despite everything… Klaus smiled.

Everything he wanted was waiting for him just inside.

* * *

He had climbed in through the window of her bedroom.

Klaus smiled tenderly at the place, at the memories that filled his mind. The dying girl lying on her bed, the feeling of her fangs piercing his arm… The way she was sleeping so peacefully when he came back to give her her Birthday gift…

Something tightened in his chest. The Portuguese would call it _saudade_.

And, hell, how could that woman make him feel like a bloody teenage boy? How dare his heart betray him so and accelerate inside his chest just at the thought of seeing her again?

Screw "one more look, one more moment". He was selfish and desperate and he wanted them all. He wanted an eternity of moments with her, the visions he'd painted for the both of them to become true.

And he had no idea what was happening or how, but he was willing to thank whatever deity had made this possible. He was willing to pray and make sacrifices at Their altar. No price They demanded would be too high.

And the seconds it took for her to climb up the stairs and reach her bedroom door… Many of his centuries had gone by faster than that. But it was okay. He would've waited there for her no matter what. However long it takes, and all that.

Just take the last step, love. Just reach out for the door handle. He was here. He wouldn't have to break any of the promises he had made.

The door opened ever so slowly.

And there she was. Beautiful and fierce and strong.

Hell– How exactly did breathing work? In and out and repeat. That was it, right? Can you see what you do to him, sweetheart?

A thousand years on this Earth and you made him forget how to _breathe_ just by existing.

He wasn't sure if his heart could remember how to beat, if the magic in his veins could remember how to work and keep on making an immortal out of him if you were to offer him one of your sunshine smiles.

But happiness was not the emotion that greeted him as he stared at that beautiful face.

Surprise clouded her features for a moment as she saw him standing there. And if he had waited just one second, he would've seen it turn to burning rage. But in his relief and happiness to see her there, Klaus didn't waste a single moment before he closed the distance between them.

He pulled her into his arms, holding her _so_ _close_ , burying his nose in her hair as he breathed her in… Klaus couldn't say he pictured a specific place when he thought of home, but her scent very much felt like it.

And, if he could, he would've stayed a good few decades trapped in that moment.

But Caroline didn't relax against his arms; she did not hold him back. No. Instead, she pushed him away with all the strength of a baby vampire, and, while it usually wouldn't be enough to so much as tickle him, in his surprise, he stumbled back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled at him.

He saw it now. The anger in her eyes.

It almost made him laugh, in a desperate or exasperated kind of way.

Had he truly traveled back in time? Was he actually fifteen years into the past in Mystic Falls? Did Caroline simply not remember everything that had happened? Everything that would put in perspective any petty fight they might be having at her present time?

And yet, just the fact that she was there… God, that could be enough to drive all these confusing thoughts and worries to the back of his mind.

Make no mistake — he was still very much planning his next move, still trying to understand how all of this could even work. He didn't think he could just make the most calculating sides of him simply shut up, but _Caroline_ was there with him. And if he was indeed back, and if this was permanent, well, he could make sure it stayed that way.

"Caroline," he said her name with such tenderness she frowned. Oh, sweetheart. He had thought he'd never be able to say it again, to speak with you again. "I… What day is it?"

Klaus had no idea how to explain this to her. He wasn't even sure he should tell her about any of it. The Caroline from 15 years ago wasn't one he could always count on, and she could very much just run to her friends and tell them all about this mess. And who knows what sort of idiotic plans the Salvatore brothers would come up with based on those informations.

But call it sentimentalism, call it weakness or foolishness… The thought of not telling her, of not sitting down and explaining to her everything that had happened… It didn't sit well with him.

He was so used to having all the cards up his sleeve. And yet, with her, he wanted to lay them down on the table.

"What are you talking about? Did you go on some killing spree and just forget what day it is?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her body as she huffed.

Oh, love, if only it were that simple…

He shook his head, not knowing where to begin. But she was looking at him expectantly and he never enjoyed to keep her waiting. He sighed.

"We need to talk."

* * *

Reluctantly, she had allowed him to sit on her bed as she gave him a chance to talk. By the way she was looking at him, Klaus was relieved that she was willing to listening to him at all. He had a feeling he already knew when exactly he had gone back to.

A small "fuck you" from the universe in comparison to everything else, but it was still rather annoying. Of course irritation didn't manage to linger on his mind. Not when he was feeling so relieved.

He supposed she thought it was strange and alarming how he kept staring at her, but it was impossible to look at anything else. He had thought that last glimpse at her back as she hesitated to walk away from him was the last he would ever see of her. And now he was getting all the extra minutes.

It seemed too good to be true.

Still, it was hard trying to figure out what he should or could tell her. How would he even begin to explain Hope to her? And how would he explain her role in all this, the turns her life had taken? He didn't think Caroline would take well to learning she would be the forced surrogate to her high school teacher's children.

"I'm from the future," he said bluntly. He knew there was no easy way to tell her that, no words he could to prepare her for such a revelation.

His words were received as he thought they would: she — who remained on her feet, leaning against the opposite wall — began laughing at him.

It took her a full minute to regain her bearings, to stop the chuckles that slipped out of her lips.

"Seriously? After everything you've done, you expect me to just believe _that_?"

"What motive would I have to lie about this? What exactly would I gain, Caroline?" he tried reasoning with her.

She just shook her head, looking rather irritated. "I don't know, but you are… You. There's always a reason, a motive. Maybe you want to get back at me or at my friends or… Or probably at Tyler! Because killing his mother, nearly killing me and driving him out of town was not enough, right? God, I'm so tired of playing these games with you!"

That almost made him smile. It was a lie and he knew so. You loved playing with him, didn't you? He wanted to ask, but stopped himself.

Still, he grimaced a little as his theory about when he had been sent back to was confirmed. Having to relive the aftermath of his worst moment when it came to her… It was far from ideal. But if it gave him the chance to fix things, to make sure she understood how that day had broken him, how it had made him realize that he could never hurt her.

He shook his head.

Klaus forced himself to focus on the matter at hands, so he sought her eyes, wanting to be holding her gaze as he said, "I promise you I am telling you the truth, love."

And he could see it, the beginning of her doubts arising. He had committed so many crimes, but lying to her wasn't one of them and she knew it all too well, even if he could see her trying to reason with herself that he might as well have started now.

"Caroline. Please, listen to me. I woke up today in the woods of Mystic Falls in what I believe to be 2011. My last memories are of New Orleans, in _2026_."

She hesitated, staring at him for a few moments that seemed to last a few centuries.

Please, love, just take this one leap of faith and believe him on this. He knew he asked too much, but _please_. You always read him better than other people. Please see that he's telling you the truth.

He could almost see the engines turning in her brain as she desperately tried to decide if she should or could trust him now.

Perhaps she saw the desperation in his eyes, because hers softened just a bit. Slowly, as if she was fighting it.

"And how exactly did you travel back in time?" she asked, her tone of voice trying to indicate that she didn't actually believe him, but something in her features told him a different story.

"I… I'm not exactly sure, if we're being honest. But if my guess is right then-" he sighed, fighting the urge of burying his face in his hands. "It's a long story."

Caroline scoffed. "You are trying to convince me you're telling the truth and that is the answer you have to give me? 'It's a long story'?" She made an airquote motion with her finger and he could see how annoyed she was.

Klaus knew she would never take that for an answer, but Christ, how the hell was he supposed to tell her the whole thing?

"Well," he began hesitantly, "it _is_ a long story. And I'm not sure how much I should even be telling you about it… I never quite learned the rules for time travel, you see," Klaus said, his tone attempting to be humorous, but it fell flat.

She narrowed her eyes at him threateningly. "You're stalling."

He laughed, the sound bitter and humourless as he shook his head. "I suppose I am. This isn't… If you don't believe me now, I do not think my story will make you change your mind. In fact, it may convince you that I've lost mine."

"Newsflash: everyone already thinks that."

Klaus sighed amusedly, knowing better than to rise to that bait. "I suppose the most unbelievable part of all this began this year. Apparently there is a magical loophole that I triggered once I broke my curse, and it made me able to produce heirs."

He took a moment to let her sink in that information. He watched as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she tried to understand if he could possibly be saying what she thought he was saying.

"I impregnated someone," he continued, thinking it would be better to get it all out without giving her the chance to interrupt him. "And I had a daughter. Hope. I moved to New Orleans because some witches were threatening the woman who was pregnant with her, and Elijah thought we should do something about it… We ended up getting involved in a supernatural war and… A lot of things happened.

"We did a lot to keep my daughter safe… Those were certainly some very strange 15 years of my existence. There are too many details for us to go over right now, but the point is: there were a lot of people after Hope. And this creature, this _demon_ , it wanted to possess her, and it would've killed her. So I did what I had to do."

Klaus paused. This time more for his sake than for hers.

Hope. She didn't even exist yet. He shouldn't feel any relief at that, should he, little wolf? He shouldn't feel like a burden was lifted from his shoulders.

But he did.

He would have and he had done everything he could for her. For her to have a family. But he had always wished… He had always wished it wouldn't have been necessary. That there would be no need for pointless sacrifices… or for him to act like the father he was never meant to be.

Look at what happened to Marcel, little wolf.

He was so sorry.

"We were running out of time," he said, looking down. He couldn't bring himself to watch her face as he told her this last part. He wasn't sure what would break him more: the happiness that took over her face as she came to know that he could be killed, or the pain that would have him realizing that she hadn't wanted him dead even now.

"And the demon, _the Hollow_ , had to be stopped. I forced it to possess me, so that… So that it could be killed when I was. My theory is that this creature refused to die so easily, and when Elijah staked me through the chest, it found a way to survive. And now here I am."

Klaus waited impatiently for her reaction, still unsure if he wanted to look up at her. Though, when seconds went by without her saying a word, he risked meeting her gaze.

He couldn't read her well enough in that moment to tell what she was thinking, though he suspected she was about to kick him out of her house.

But — and it was probably just to spite him and confuse him — she began laughing almost desperately. He felt genuine surprise when she pushed herself from the wall and walked towards him, sitting by his side on her bed.

The fury in her eyes dimmed a bit, giving place to a child-like curiosity.

"Alright. I believe you."

Klaus frowned. "You do?"

She rolled her eyes impatiently at him. "If this was one of your plans, you would've probably had the decency to come up with a plausible story for all this, but what you're telling me doesn't make any sense at all."

Oh, sweetheart, you don't know even the half of it.

"Will you help me, then?" he asked impulsively. "To figure out exactly what happened and a way to sort this out?"

He had once told her, though she still wouldn't have that memory for many years, that there should be another way. A secret buried somewhere, in a language long-forgotten… A key to having everything he wanted, all at once.

He knew what he wanted.

And if he would now have the time to search for this miraculous solution. Oh, he wanted her by his side, where he could keep her when the time came.

Klaus watched her carefully. She was still so uncertain, so reluctant to trust him. He understood why, of course, but it was still a little frustrating. He had gotten used to the Caroline who would look at him without putting on a mask.

It didn't matter. They would get there with time.

"Fine," she said, her eyes calculating. "But I have questions."

And, in the end, it was always so easy to be around her. So easy and instinctive to offer her a charming smile and lean in to say, his voice dropping, "And I may have some answers."

He knew this would be difficult. That she was still processing the things he'd told her and that she wouldn't deal well with any of it as soon as the information had truly sunken in. These questions she was already planning on asking him… He knew there would be a full interrogation and that she would resent him for some of the answers.

But, God, he was _alive_. He had Caroline Forbes sitting by his side.

He could deal with whatever else came his way.

* * *

 **So... What do you think? Did you enjoy Klaus's thoughts? His feelings on being sent to the past and getting to see Caroline again? Did you enjoy their dynamic? How awkward it is that he's used to an older Caroline, but has to deal with the version of her that still feels the need to pretend to hate him? Alsooo... Next chapter we'll get to see her reacting to some of the things he told her and some of the things he will tell her, and we'll also be getting some answers as to why/how this whole time travel thing happened.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Life's been a bit busy here on my end, but now I finally have the time to write again.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Thank you, Mimi (padmcdala on tumblr) for beta work.**

* * *

 _Well, this is uncomfortable._

Klaus fought down a bitter smile as memories from another road trip invaded his mind. He was also sitting on the passenger seat, Caroline was still the one driving him to where he needed to go… But in the past — _his_ past, her future — he was fighting down smiles for whole different reasons.

She was telling him she did not regret their time together. He was telling her he would always notice her, no matter what.

But today, silence reigned in the car. Her hands gripped the steering wheel too tight and she would not look at him.

In truth, Caroline not looking at him wasn't a new problem or one restricted to their little road trip. She had not truly looked at him since last night. And he wasn't sure if she was angry or hurt or simply reconsidering her decision to help him out.

After he had managed to convince her he was telling the truth, she had agreed to help him, but had said she wanted more answers, which he was more than willing to give her if it would get her to trust him a little more.

Before she had managed to ask him anything though, her mother had arrived home — it was just his luck that Sheriff Forbes would choose that day out of all to leave work a little earlier and have dinner with her daughter.

Klaus had stayed in her room while Caroline went downstairs, carefully listening to her and her mother's conversations and any possible evidence that she was trying to warn anyone of what was happening. She had left her phone in the room, so at least he had known she wasn't texting anyone.

Perhaps it was a little hypocritical of him to ask her to trust him when he was not likely to return the favor, but, well, he didn't survive for over a thousand years by being careless.

The thought made him want to snort — his age had become something so insignificant after a few centuries. He claimed to be over a thousand years old, never thinking much of it. Always believing that a little while would pass and he'd be saying he survived over two thousand years. Three. Four... Forever.

But he had managed only 1,148.

There had been a final point, a finishing line.

It did not matter. He would make sure it did not matter. He would make sure there was no ending to his story. Besides, what good would it make him dwell on that thought now? What happened was in his past, and it would stay there.

No, it was much better — albeit just as frustrating — to focus on the girl by his side.

To focus on the quietness that had taken over her when she opened the door of her bedroom again. On that glint in her eyes that had almost seemed like surprise, like she had convinced herself that he hadn't been real and was disappointed to learn that the situation he presented her wasn't a bad dream she could wake up from.

Caroline had claimed to be tired and ready to go to bed, saying that they could discuss the details of whatever plan he had the next morning.

He still recalled somewhat fondly how she had said, "Well, I guess you can't really go to your house. And if you wander around someone might see you– one of your siblings, I don't know. So… Ugh, okay. You can sleep on the floor tonight."

That had been followed by a little speech about how he was _not_ supposed to watch her sleep.

But it had been a kindness from her part, no matter how hard she tried to pretend otherwise. She gave him no mattress or blanket or even a pillow, but she had trusted him enough to allow him to sleep under the same roof as herself.

He hadn't slept at all, truth be told. How could he when he had just been killed, but except of just dying he had traveled back in time? When he didn't know _why_ this had happened or what could it mean?

Klaus spent the entire night thinking, trying to figure what would be the best way to get his answers.

And now here they were, in Caroline's car, heading towards the house of a witch who was friendly enough with his family. Hoping that she could tell him something that would help him deal with whatever it was that was happening to him.

Caroline had agreed to come with him when he told her of his plan, which he was still choosing to view as a good sign, even if she continued to mostly ignore his presence.

"You can wait in the car, if you'd like," he said once she'd parked in front of the witch's house. "I shouldn't be long."

It wasn't that he didn't want her with him — because he very much would like to find any excuse to keep her by his side — but with the way she had been acting, he figured she could be having second thoughts about helping him and keeping his secret. And he couldn't afford her meddling friends and their idiotic plans to get in his way. So he would offer her an out now, give her a chance to let this go before she became too involved.

But Caroline scoffed, finally looking at him. And even if it was with annoyance in her eyes, he felt the corner of his lips twitching. "Yeah, do you really think I would've driven all the way here if I was going to stay in the car? I want to hear what she has to tell you."

Klaus nodded, unsurprised by her resolve.

"Shall we get some answers, then?"

* * *

Caroline wasn't sure about what she had been expecting, but the witch's house was normal enough.

Sure, one of her best friends was a witch and she knew they led normal lives, but when told she would be going to meet a witch who was friends with the Mikaelsons, she kind of thought she'd be facing a cruel woman who lived in an obscure place and had dungeons where screaming prisoners were held or something of the sort.

She definitely had not expected to be sitting beside Klaus on the couch, drinking tea in a colourful living room, while a seemingly bubbly girl — whose body was young, though her eyes were old — sat across from them.

"So, to what do I owe the honour of your visit?" she asked, looking at Klaus with adoring eyes.

Which didn't bother Caroline. Not at all. She just thought that maybe Alyssa should be a little more professional, since Klaus was coming to her with a problem and she was supposed to help him. But that was it.

And, really, why should it bother her?

Clearly whatever feelings he might have had for her were something he had moved on from. Hell, he had gotten someone pregnant, had moved away from Mystic Falls to raise his family.

And it was a good thing that he had moved on, too. She didn't _want_ him in her life. In fact, she was only helping him so that he would be gone as soon as possible — because what she really didn't need was Klaus's hanging around.

He had hurt her, brought her to near death twice now. He had killed Elena's aunt, Tyler's mother and — damn it, _Tyler_ … He had run her boyfriend out of town, promised to hunt him him down like had done with Katherine. All because he had done the right thing and had made sure no one was enslaved to Klaus.

But ever since he had told her he had died… Some cold, strange, awful feeling had settled in her stomach.

For all that she should hope that he would die, the thought of it actually happening left her feeling uneasy. Left her feeling angry at him.

God, what was happening to her? This felt so much like betraying her friends, betraying _her boyfriend_.

Yet, here she was, helping him seek answers she didn't think she could just walk away and let him figure it out on his own.

She shook her head, trying to focus on Klaus's explanation to the witch. He didn't give Alyssa nearly as many details as he gave her, and added a good amount of thinly veiled threats of what would happen if she wasn't discreet about the information he was giving her.

"Give me your cup," was all Alyssa said once he was done talking.

Klaus did as she requested, offering her his cup, now empty, except for the tea leaves on the bottom.

The witch analysed them carefully, spinning the cup in her hands a few times and frowning at whatever it was she was reading in them. Caroline looked down at her own cup, wondering what it could be saying.

" _Semper anticus,"_ Alyssa whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse.

"What does that mean?" Caroline asked, feeling a little anxious as she gave Klaus a questioning look.

He was frowning as he answered her. "Always forward."

"Yes. You came back. The future you saw no longer exists the way you know it. The spirits do not want you to dwell on it… You must look forward. What happens from now on is up to you. You can decide how much you want to change things."

His face remained unreadable. Caroline didn't know how he felt about those words.

"And what does that say about how I am here? What brought me back in time?"

Alyssa hesitated. "To read the past in your case… That is not so simple."

Klaus offered her an icy smile, his eyes suddenly hard and filled with a promise of cruelty. It made Caroline shiver, even if it wasn't directed at her. "But you will give it a try, won't you?"

She nodded hurriedly, looking a little scared as she returned her attention to the cup still in her hands.

" _Ab intra, ex animo."_

She repeated those words over and over again, seeming more and more anxious as nothing happened.

And then the witch suddenly stood up, letting out a horrified sound — as if she tried to scream, but was too scared, too paralysed to do it properly. The cup slipped from her hands, falling to the ground.

It broke in so many pieces; and through each crack, a blue smoke came out, flowing through the air for a few moments before it ebbed away.

Caroline suddenly felt very, very cold and nauseous. Something was terribly wrong about that smoke. And if she, an abomination of nature herself could feel it, then it had to truly be something bad.

Klaus had a cold smile on his lips and no surprise in his eyes. "The Hollow."

Alyssa immediately hissed, "Don't say that name."

He raised his brows at her as he stood up as well. "And what exactly do you know about it?"

Klaus took a few steps in her direction, and Caroline could see how much the witch was fighting against her instincts so that she would stand her ground. In that moment, she could see who he truly was, the menace he represented to so many people.

She couldn't help but find it enticing. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. The way he moved, the way he talked… She could almost feel his power each time she breathed in.

"Not much," Alyssa confessed, voice trembling. "But the legends say it is a cunning demon, hungry for power and destruction. And if… And if it real, Klaus, I don't think that even you should be messing with it."

There was something wolfish about the way his lips twitched into a wicked grin. He reached out to cup her cheek but, what could be interpreted as a tender gesture, felt more like a threat than anything.

"Now, surely you do not think that I came here to hear what are your thoughts on the matter. So, be a good girl, and tell me where you got any information of the Hollow from."

Caroline felt her shoulders tensing as she watched that scene unfold. Part of her wanted to stand up and tell him to back down, but she also wanted him to get the information he needed. If only so that this issue could be solved as soon as possible.

"There are books," she told him, hesitantly. Caroline could see the reluctance in her eyes. She clearly wanted to please Klaus, but she was also scared of talking about this subject. "I can… I can get them to you, if you'd like."

And just like that, he changed his demeanour. A warm smile spread across his face as his thumb caressed her cheek.

"That would be wonderful, love."

* * *

The drive back to Mystic Falls was also an uncomfortable one, but not because it was silent.

In fact, it was not been quiet at all — and that was where the trouble lied.

With grimoires piled in the backseat, and the answers he had gotten spinning his head, Klaus was almost glad that Caroline had stubbornly insisted on driving. At least he wouldn't have to keep his attention on the road.

He had been sent back in time because of The Hollow. Just like he had suspected. The creature had not been willing to go down that easily and had chosen to move them through time rather than give up.

But why here? Why in Mystic Falls? Why so close to Caroline? Why in the relatively short period of time they had spent together?

The demon had a thousand years to choose from, but here was when he ended up.

Klaus remembered how he had thought about her before dying. How he had hoped things could've been different, that he could've fulfilled his promises to her. Had that influenced The Hollow's magic?

Or had The Hollow itself brought those thoughts to his mind? Tempting him with the idea of Caroline so that he would not try to fight this.

He didn't know. The witch hadn't been able to tell him, either.

She had told him the creature wasn't really inside of him, though. And that was a small relief. She said she could feel something, like a trace left behind by its magic, but it was not truly possessing him.

Klaus had the theory that it was still there. Only dormant. Waiting. Well, at least it wasn't eating away his energy and poisoning him from inside.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Caroline's voice.

"I think I'm ready to ask my questions."

He swallowed. He knew this moment would come, of course, but he was still wary of how she would react to the things he had to tell her.

Yet he could not deny her this, so he said, "Go ahead, sweetheart."

She took a deep breath, as if sensing that she wouldn't like his answers.

"Who was the mother of your child?"

He winced. "Hayley."

Caroline gave him an incredulous look, as if thinking he was joking. When he didn't say anything, she began laughing humorlessly. "Are you serious? Hayley as in the girl who helped free all of your hybrids with Tyler?"

"Yes, that Hayley."

For a moment, she didn't say anything. Only tightened her grip on the steering wheel until the white of her knuckles were showing. He almost told her to mind her strength and not break it, but he knew better than to do that.

And then she was stopping the car on the side of the roadway so that she could turn at him and yell, "Seriously? Her? So you kill Tyler's mother and drive him out of town for having done that, but, even though she's guilty of the same crime – actually, even worse than that, since she knew what she was doing and was working for Shane –, you did what? Fell in love with her? Decided to start a family? You are unbelievable."

Klaus frowned.

"Fell in love? I've never loved Hayley. I had no idea I could impregnate anyone, and, had I known, I certainly wouldn't have chosen to have a child with her. She had information I needed, so we spent maybe a day together. We got drunk, had sex, and that was it. The next time I saw her she was in New Orleans being held by witches who had found out she was pregnant with my daughter. That was when I found out."

"And afterwards?" she pushed. "You stayed in New Orleans for her and the baby."

He felt himself smile in spite of his better judgement. He did not want to anger her, but the jealousy clearly mixed with her words, her fear that he would've moved on from her… He couldn't help but enjoy it.

"I did not care about the baby when I decided to stay in New Orleans," he told her honestly. "I found out that an old friend, who I thought dead, had built himself an empire on my town. I could not let him have everything that me and my family had built there many years ago. So I stayed to fight for my city."

She was looking at him slightly shocked. "But you killed yourself for your daughter."

"I did come to love Hope, eventually. Or as close to that as I can manage," he joked, though they both knew there was some truth to his words. "But not Hayley. I hated her for quite a while. Then I became thankful for her. She was good mother to Hope, and she was there when I couldn't be. But I've never loved her, nor were we ever together for more than that one day."

Caroline nodded, accepting his answer. She stayed silent for a few more moments as she thought of her next question.

"Do you… Do you know what happened to me? I mean, do you know what was my future?"

He smiled, raising his brows at her. "Did you ever think I wouldn't?"

His answer pleased her, and that pleased him. There was a part of her that wanted him to care, wanted him to want her. Even after over a decade had passed.

Oh, sweetheart, if only you knew the things he had told you. If only you remembered his lips on your cheeks and a promise for eternity.

She kept her gaze locked on his, the corner of her lips curled in a small smile and her cheeks slightly red. And he wanted that moment to last longer, but she eventually cleared her throat and averted her eyes.

"Uh," she started, trying to come up with something to say. "Can you tell me then?"

That had him hesitating.

"I could," he conceded. "But I do not think you would enjoy hearing about it. Or that you would understand it. I can say that you were happy. That I was impressed when I heard what you path you had chosen for yourself. And that within a few decades, maybe a century, you'd likely have the supernatural world eating from the palm of your hand. But your life took many unexpected turns to get where it was by the time I died, and I think those might scare you if I were to tell you about them now."

She rolled her eyes, unimpressed, though the blush on her cheeks had spread down her neck when he told her he had been impressed by her.

"Well, Alyssa told you that you could change things about the future if you wanted. Don't I deserve to know if I want my future to be changed?"

Klaus had to admit she had a point. There were things he couldn't take away from her, not without her permission… Even if he wouldn't miss what she never had. But she was looking at him expectantly and he respected her too much not to tell her.

"Suit yourself, sweetheart. But don't say I didn't warn you," he said pointedly. "You had children of your own. Twins. Two girls. I know you loved them dearly, even if everything regarding how they ended up in your life was far from ideal."

Caroline scoffs. "Don't play games with me. So vampires just happen to start having babies? First you and now me?"

"I am not doing anything of the sort," he assured her. "As I said, the circumstances for you to become a mother were not ideal. I was no longer in Mystic Falls by the time it happened, but I know that, as absurd as it sounds, what happened was that the children's witch, human mother was killed alongside her coven. One of the members of that coven, to ensure it survived, transferred… Well, transferred the children of her dying body into yours."

It felt ridiculous for him to even say it. It had taken him awhile to believe it when he had first heard the news himself.

Caroline didn't look happy about it. "And I knew this was going to happen? It doesn't… It doesn't really sound like something I would want."

"I don't think your opinion on the matter was asked, love."

She looked disgusted. He couldn't blame her.

"Okay. So in my future I am forced to be pregnant with someone else's children without my consent. And you said I was happy?"

"You came to love them. You raised them. They were your children, even if not biologically yours. They were a very rare kind of witch, that absorbs magic instead of already having it within them. And, at some point, you realized that raising them in the human world was too difficult and harmful for them. So you created a school for supernatural children." He paused. "Hope studies... _studied_ there."

She met his eyes again. "So we were still in each other's lives?"

And he knew she didn't mean to sound hopeful, that she was probably hating herself for the fact that she did, but he could only offer her a huge smile.

"We lost contact for a while," he admitted. "After I left for New Orleans, I came back a few times to see you, but we ended up making a deal so that I would stay away."

She raised her hand to stop him. "What kind of deal?"

He smirked. "I said you needed only to confess how you truly felt about me and then I would be gone. And you did."

"Right," she said, looking very embarrassed.

He knew she was likely dying to ask him what exactly she had said, but the thought of having to face him afterwards was keeping her from doing it. A shame, really. He would've loved to see the loon on her face when he told her that she hadn't said anything, exactly, but rather showed him how she felt.

"We shared a phone call a few years later," he told her. "Right after you'd had your girls, actually. But I kept my promise and stayed away. Then when Hope went to your school… Unfortunately, me being in the same city as her could lead to her death, so I'm sorry to say I wasn't allowed to attend the parent-teacher conferences. But I did send you a letter and made a donation to your virtues cause."

"And that was it?"

He shook his head. "Years later, you met me in France. Not quite the way I had imagined our first time in Paris, but it was still memorable. You made me go back to my family when Hope was needing me. Some time later you came to me to inform me that my daughter had ran away from school with a boy, and we tracked them down together."

He left out the part where it all went to hell and Hayley died.

"And we were on good terms?" she asked, confused. Or faking confusion, as if trying to say that she could not believe that they would ever be somewhat friendly.

Klaus smiled, but did not answer her. It made something in his chest ache to think of how they had been in the future. Of how close he had come to having her in his arms.

"The next time I saw you was when I came to you to ask for your help with my plan to save my daughter."

She frowned. He could hear her heart beating faster. "I was there when you… When you died?"

"Hope must have picked on the stubbornness of her headmistress, because she originally refused to let me carry out my plan. She and Elijah dragged me back to New Orleans so they could try to find a way to help me. Well, they didn't. But you…" He smiled. "You went there to say goodbye."

And it hit him in that moment how easy it would be not having to say goodbye. How quickly he could solve all of his problems. And it was selfish and wrong, but when had he ever concerned himself with those details?

He had loved his daughter. He did still. And while she had been alive, he would've and had done everything to keep her so.

But here, she wasn't alive. She didn't even exist. Would it be so bad if he made sure this was the way it remained?

 _The key to having everything I want, all at once._

He didn't think Hope was part of everything he wanted.

"Caroline," he said, somewhat impulsively. "I'll need you to do something for me."

* * *

 **What did you guys think of their dynamic? Did you enjoy their talk at the end? What do you think will happen next? I can tell you the present-time!Klaus will make his first appearance next chapter, which should be fun. Anyway, please let me know your thoughts!**

 **As always, you can find me on tumblr as itsnotacrimetoloveyou.**


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